NEW students thronged the centre of Oxford in gowns and traditional full academic dress as they joined a ceremony to join the university.
Thousands donned ‘sub fusc’ – dark clothing with ties or ribbons and mortar boards – for matriculation. The ceremony, held at the Sheldonian Theatre on Saturday, saw new students formally become members of Oxford University and marked the start of its Michaelmas term.
As with all formal Oxford University ceremonies, rules are strict on dress code, with the customary sub fusc – which comes from the Latin sub fuscus meaning dark brown – worn beneath flowing gowns.
It is also worn at graduation and for exams – at which times a carnation is customarily worn: white for first exams, pink for middle ones and red for final exams.
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